A master of comedy!

Chapter 29 Asking the Rice
The so-called "asking the rice" refers to using rice as a medium so that the spirit of the deceased can enter the underworld and possess the body of the dead to answer various questions from the living.

However, this method also has many taboos. The three things that should not be asked are actually for the protection of those who walk the path of the dead, so as to prevent them from being taken away by vengeful spirits.

"There are indeed three things you shouldn't ask when asking about divination, but what if we insist on asking them?"

Yu Zhensheng stepped forward and said calmly.

A flicker of emotion crossed the eyes of the sorceress Cui, which were covered by white tints. She asked, "How does Master Yu plan to use force?"

"You are a very famous figure in the Yin family. For so many years, we have kept to ourselves and never interfered with each other. I have never revealed any information about you. Does Master Yu really want to bully this blind old woman today?"

As she finished speaking, the memorial tablets behind her began to tremble slightly and rustle, while the candlelight flickered.

This made those white pupils appear even more sinister and terrifying.

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, becoming extremely tense.

Zhou Sheng tensed up, feeling a little confused. Hadn't his master just taught him to maintain good relationships with disciples from other lineages?

Why the sudden shift to such a strong stance?
Yu Zhensheng smiled faintly and stepped forward, saying, "Watch closely, just do it hard like this."

As he spoke, he slammed a gold bar on the octagonal table with a loud thud.

Zhou Sheng: "..."

The sorceress Cui: "..."

"Master Yu—"

"Too little?"

Yu Zhensheng bid on another gold bar.

Looking at the two gleaming gold bars, Granny Cui remained silent for a moment before shaking her head again.

"...This is not about money."

"It's all about money."

Yu Zhensheng chuckled and took out another item, but this time it was not a gold bar, but a string of copper coins.

However, this string of copper coins is extremely special. Normal copper coins are round on the outside and square on the inside, symbolizing the idea that heaven is round and earth is square. But these copper coins are the opposite, with square on the outside and round on the inside, and the characters are engraved.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Zhou Sheng seemed to smell a faint scent of incense when these copper coins appeared.

In an instant, Granny Cui's gaze was drawn to the string of copper coins as if by a magnet, and she did not look away from it for a long time.

The copper coins seemed far more attractive than the two gold bars.

“You are eighty-four years old this year, and your lifespan is almost over. With this incense money, you can make arrangements for the gods and spirits when you get to the underworld. You might even be able to become a ghost official.”

"As for these two gold bars, you can leave them to your little apprentice. After all, the living always need them."

Yu Zhensheng's words made Granny Cui fall into deep thought.

"Ask or not, give me a straight answer, but I must warn you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The sorceress shook her head.

Just when Zhou Sheng thought she was still going to refuse, she sighed and said, "Alright, it really is a matter of money."

"Xiao Yun'er, go prepare the things for the rice-seeking ceremony."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

Yu Zhensheng smiled and winked at his apprentice, secretly conveying his message.

"You brat, learn from this. This is the experience of the underworld. Don't resort to fighting all the time."

About fifteen minutes later, everything was ready.

Granny Cui sealed the door and placed offerings on the octagonal table. However, instead of incense ash, the incense burner contained snow-white grains of rice.

She placed the head on the table, respectfully lit three incense sticks, then formed a hand seal and chanted incantations.

"The law commands the spirits of the netherworld; with one heart, I beseech the true spirits. May we reach the heavens above and the earth below, swiftly connecting with the myriad spirits of the underworld..."

As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed a handful of rice and scattered it around.

"The first move, open the gates of hell!"

As the rice grains fell to the ground, Zhou Sheng's eyes narrowed, and he noticed that Granny Cui's face had turned ashen, and her chest was no longer rising and falling, as if she had become a dead person.

A chilling wind arose from all around, extinguishing the candlelight and plunging the room into even greater darkness. "Second attempt: Feed the evil golden rooster!"

She tossed rice like snowflakes, each grain distinct, scattering it all around her, her steps erratic, as if she were quickly passing through some place.

The next moment, a miraculous scene unfolded.

Suddenly, black footprints resembling roosters appeared on the ground covered with rice grains, and the rice grains were rapidly disappearing, as if being devoured by something unseen.

Zhou Sheng recalled that in folk legends, the dead who wanted to go to the underworld would pass through a dangerous place called Golden Rooster Mountain on their way to the Yellow Springs.

If the deceased had abused animals or committed evil deeds in life, their eyes would be pecked out and their internal organs torn apart by a flock of golden pheasants.

Even a good person who did no evil deeds in life may still be pecked when passing through this test, but the injury will be less severe.

Therefore, in some places, when burying the deceased, a handful of grains is placed on their body so that they can feed the chickens when they cross Jinji Mountain and avoid being pecked by them.

"The third move: bribe the Yellow Springs guide pawn!"

After sprinkling the third handful of rice, Granny Cui suddenly collapsed onto the chair, her limbs flailing as if in water, and a gurgling sound coming from her throat.

She clearly didn't drink any water, but the sound of water was unmistakable.

It was as if she was no longer in the mortal world, but had fallen into the underworld.

A moment later, she suddenly fell silent, slumping into the chair like a corpse, her messy white hair covering most of her face.

Zhou Sheng could no longer sense any trace of human life in him.

Just as he was wondering if the other person was still alive, the sorceress Cui suddenly widened her eyes, took a deep breath, and made a dodging motion while shouting repeatedly.

"Ghost messengers, please don't hit me! I'm not playing a trick on you—"

The sound stopped abruptly, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she had returned to the human world.

"who are you?"

Zhou Sheng wondered if the old woman Cui in front of him was still her, or if she had been possessed by the ghost of that head.
"I wasn't possessed; the exorcism attempt failed."

"Failed?"

The sorceress nodded, then stared at the head with a very strange expression.

"I took this head to the underworld, but the ghost messengers told me..."

"This woman is not dead; she is alive."

"A living person?"

Zhou Sheng pointed at the already rotting head and said with a strange expression, "You're telling me she's still alive?"

"That's what the ghost messengers said anyway. They thought I was deliberately teasing them, so they whipped me twice..."

As she spoke, Granny Cui rolled up her sleeves, revealing two dark blue whip marks on her arm.

After saying that, she reached out to grab the two gold bars and the string of copper coins, but Yu Zhensheng pressed her wrist down.

"You want money before you've even gotten the job done?"

"Are you taking me, Yu Zhensheng, for a fool?"

With a bitter face, Granny Cui said, "I've already asked, but the person is still alive. What... what can I do..."

Her voice trailed off, and a look of shame crossed her face.

Clearly, it was so absurd that even she herself didn't quite believe it when faced with someone's rotting head and claiming that the person was still alive.

"Perhaps... perhaps the ghost messenger made a mistake? Or... should I try again?"

Yu Zhensheng shook his head and said, "Try someone else. This time, bring her up."

As he spoke, he handed over a piece of yellow paper with a name and date of birth written on it.

Zhou Sheng glanced over and was startled.

"Xu Cuicui, born in the year of Guiyou, the month of Dingwei, the day of Renzi, and the hour of Jimao."

……

(End of this chapter)